The rolling ball simulator genre has got a new title, and a pretty well done one at that. Gears isn’t just an interesting game â€“ it also boasts great graphics, as well as tons of levels, which is just what a ball-roller needs â€“ and it’s what many games seem to ignore. And yes, I should probably point out that I’m a fan of this particular genre, so this review is definitely biased. I just find the process of rolling a sphere down different ways quite captivating â€“ and judging by the popularity of this genre, I’m not alone.

Gameplay of Gears is as simple as rolling a sphere around levels of varying difficulty and collecting nick-knacks that are scattered around them. There are different secondary mechanics, but the core gameplay is unchanged. The goal is always to get to the end of the level, finding as many tokens as possible â€“ although they’re not required to unlock new levels. There are no lives or health in Gears, and the ball can be dropped down the lava pits or broken in-between the gears as many times as needed, and it will always return to the last activated checkpoint. I think that, although it takes a bit away from the challenge, it’s a great thing, as the game doesn’t frustrate even when it becomes really difficult. And it surely does. The ball can be controlled either by swiping across the screen, or, I think more comfortably, by tilting the device. This can be changed in the controls from the main menu.

Although the game process of Gears isn’t very deep or particularly unusual, it makes up for it with pure quality. The game doesn’t lag, doesn’t glitch, and it runs completely fine. It actually contains a story of some sort, and comes with different level designs. It feels like a complete game â€“ and unfortunately, it’s a feeling that Android games tend to lack. Gears has great graphics, simple, but working mechanics, and lots of fun. Although usually I prefer games that have complexity, Gears work just as fine. The only thing I don’t quite understand is a couple of ads I’ve seen, and I hope that with this being a paid game, they will get removed eventually.